Buzzing E String

[Drak_nyen]

Hi,

I have an Ibanez GRX70 which I got 2nd which I was told had new strings on it before purchase.

I am getting a string buzz on the low E string when fretting the 2/3/4 frets.
I have checked to make sure the strings are stretched enough so they stay in tune ok but I cannot get rid of this buzz.

Any Ideas?

Thanks
Pete

[Dong]

u have to curve the neck

[andrewtheshreddr]

possibly u might wanna make the action a little higher, and/or check if the frets are worn out or anything..

first things first before you go changing action....

1.first check to make sure you are tuned to standard pitch. some times if you are below standard tuning the strings are looser and tend to hit the frets and buzz.
2.check your string size. make sure you have light guage strings like .009s or .008s. the bigger strings sometimes you have to adjust for them.

if its not either of those then youll have to adjust the neck up slightly or one of the saddles on the bridge.

[Drak_nyen]

Hi All,


Cheers for the replies.
I don't know what string guage is on there as they were put on before I bought it (2nd hand).

It is set for standard tuning. Whilst I'm only just beginning I figured it better to play with standard then move to something like Drop D for playing alot of the rock stuff.

[phil28uk]

Yeah it is more likely to be a slight adjustment of the truss rod than the action. Loosening it very slightly (anti-clockwise) should do the job

[El_jalepeno]

Dude, before tinkering with the truss, keep in mind that only the bass side of the fret board is buzzing, and only on a few lower frets on one string. This is an action issue, not a truss rod adjustment. Check the action and raise it just a hair on that one string.

[Drak_nyen]

I'll have a look in the next couple of days and see if I can adjust the action slightly.

Will look on Ibanez's site for any kind of maintenance guide pertaining to adjusting the action on a GRX70.

if its just that one string, then adjust the saddle on the bridge that string sets on...dont move the truss rod yet.
just take a really small allen wrench, 1.5mm i think, and adjust it up. move it up just a little at a time though... i mean very small amounts at a time..then re-tune back to pitch and check to see if the buzz is gone yet. keep in mind every time you move the saddle you will have to retune back to standard pitch THEN check. just keep doing that each time till the buzz is gone. pretty simple adjustment.

[Drak_nyen]

What I will do this weekend is to play each fret of each string and note where I get any buzzing to check if its only on that string or on more (just in places I haven't tried fretting yet).


I am tempted to just get some new strings and completely re-string it so I know exactly what I am working with and then look at making the adjustments from there.

[YetAnotherOne]

Before you do anything follow follow this link: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luth.../buzzlist.html

It's almost certainly not a truss rod problem because of the location on the neck. To raise the action enough to eliminate buzz at the 2nd/3rd/4th frets would create a huge bow mid-neck and you'd almost certainly wind up with buzz / fretting out up high.

There are lots of possible causes & solutions. Is the guitar used? If so be sure the frets aren't notched under the strings, if you're falling into a notch when you fret the strings will be a bit low. You may have a high fret that's worked its way up (or was levelled / crowned incorrectly last time fretwork was done on the guitar). If the guitar has a locking nut you could shim under the low-E side to bring the action up a bit at the low frets on the bass side of the neck. If it's not a locking nut your low E slot may have been filed a little too deeply. Etc., etc., etc. Point being that no one here will be able to tell you what the problem is or how to correct it without having your guitar in hand and examining it in person. Caveat emptor on the advice you get from those who are certain they know what the problem is.

[EddieMan2003]

Originally Posted by El_jalepeno

Dude, before tinkering with the truss, keep in mind that only the bass side of the fret board is buzzing, and only on a few lower frets on one string. This is an action issue, not a truss rod adjustment. Check the action and raise it just a hair on that one string.

Listen to El J! He knows his shit! I had the same problem before and this solved it. Just take it to a repair guy (no Guitar Center they dont know what they are talking about half the time). Luckaly I have a good guy that does all of my guitars. Personally, I would just get a basic setup should be about 40$.

[Mondy]

You could always move to Manchester, where a "Buzzing" e-string would no longer be a problem... Y'kno what ah mean, ah kid ?



Sorry, have I been spending too much time in the shit joke thread ?

[Drak_nyen]

I'm not entirely sure it is now just on the low E string as I was trying to play the intro to sweet child o mine last night and it got a buzz on the 12th fret of the D string.

Yes the guitar is used and the guy I bought it off said he had had the guitar for about 12 months and recently put new strings in it.

What I think may be the best option is during the christmas break take the old strings off and examining the fretboard and also cleaning it. Then re-string it with a new set of strings (so I then know exactly what it has) & then look at adjusting the action from there.

As I have only been playing guitar 3 weeks I think this may well be good practise for general guitar maintenance.

I have read that FastFret is a good for the fretboard. Can anyone else recommend anything else to try/use??